CLEVELAND—Indians manager Eric Wedge has firsthand experience with Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who started Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Wedge, a former catcher in Boston’s organization, caught Wakefield’s unpredictable pitch in the minor leagues.
Actually, he chased it nearly as much as he cradled it in his glove.
“It’s tough,” Wedge said. “It’s not easy. It dances all the way to the end.”
Wedge and Wakefield were teammates at Triple-A Pawtucket and later in Boston.
Wakefield’s here-there-and-everywhere pitch is usually most effective in warm, humid conditions. With a forecast for possible light rain in Cleveland, Wedge didn’t know what effect the weather would have on Wakefield’s signature pitch.
“I’m not sure about the damp conditions,” he said. “In the cold weather, it’s usually a little tougher (to throw). I’m not sure how it will be.”
Perfecting a knuckleball has allowed Wakefield to enjoy a long career, which began as a draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1988. Wakefield doesn’t rely solely on a knuckleball and occasionally mixes in a slider and fastball.
Wakefield’s a rare breed in today’s game. Years ago, the majors were peppered with knuckleballers like Phil Niekro, Wilbur Wood, Tom Candiotti and Hoyt Wilhelm are among the better known knucklers.
Where’d they all go?
“I don’t know,” Wedge said. “It’s a generational gap. You don’t see them at all anymore. When I was growing up there were a handful in each league that you knew by name.”
Wedge’s days, too, with the knuckleball are behind him.
“I don’t even like playing catch with one,” he said. “(Indians pitching coach) Carl (Willis) throws it and I’m like, ‘OK, we’re done.'”
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DICE-K WILL BE OK:@ The padded chair in front of Daisuke Matsuzaka’s locker was finally empty Tuesday. That was a very good sign.
Dice-K was still sitting there more than an hour after pitching poorly for the Red Sox in Boston’s 4-2 loss to Cleveland in Game 3 of the AL championship series on Monday night.
Then he issued a 20-second statement through his translator as he continued to sit silently and stare into his locker, clasping his hands behind his neck, then pressing the heel of his left hand to his forehead.
“How he sat in his locker or his demeanor after the game won’t have any bearing on how he pitches the next time out,” manager Terry Francona said before trying to even the best-of-seven series in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Matsuzaka cost the Red Sox $103.11 million in bidding rights and a six-year contract and has struggled in two playoff outings as a rookie.
“All the notoriety that came with him signing with the Red Sox, the cultural differences,” Francona said. “He feels so much responsibility because he is so competitive.”
He said Matsuzaka has even apologized to him at times when he goes to the mound to bring in a reliever.
“He’s one of the strongest guys mentally I’ve ever seen,” Francona said. “Ten minutes after a game, how a guy reacts won’t have anything to do with five days later with time to process things.”
Reliever Mike Timlin said Red Sox players support Matsuzaka.
“We’re not worried about him,” Timlin said. “We’ll handle it when we need to handle it. This is a 30-man family. When a guy falls down, the rest of us pick him up.”
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WATCHING THE WAIT:@ The Colorado Rockies’ long layoff before the World Series was a popular topic for the two teams that might face them.
The Rockies won the National League pennant on Monday night, completing a four-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But with the World Series not starting until a week from Wednesday, the Rockies will have an eight-day wait before they play again.
“I’m sure they won’t worry about it too much,” Cleveland Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach said. “They’re in the World Series.”
Added Boston reliever Mike Timlin, “Sometimes it’s bad, sometimes it’s not. When we face ’em, I hope they’re flat as all get out.”
Colorado’s wait is the longest in postseason history, and it puts their incredible momentum on ice—at least temporarily. The Rockies have won 21 of their last 22, including their last 10.
“That’s pretty cool,” Shoppach said. “What a story. That’s some tough stuff right there. It’s almost unthinkable in baseball.”
